Riley, Mcdaniel Promise No Letup

NEW YORK — So now that the Bulls have gone up 3-2 in this Eastern Conference semifinal and can start breathing easier and preparing for the next round of the playoffs . . .

Well, not quite yet.

``This isn`t going to be a game for the Sisters of Mercy,`` Knicks coach Pat Riley said of Thursday`s Game 6. ``There`s a lot at stake here.``

Like reputations.

Riley`s, for one. But no one is going to say anymore that he just rolled the ball out and won with the Lakers.

Michael Jordan`s, for another. As if anyone needed further proof after his 26 second-half points in Game 5. How much did he take charge? Late in the fourth quarter, Jordan shook off a Phil Jackson play call for ball movement and blasted toward the basket. That is what it took.

Which brings us to Scottie Pippen. Front-runner, they`re saying. Around the NBA, the notion is Pippen is like Byron Scott-hits the shots when the team`s up but falters otherwise. That`s perhaps unfair at this point, but Pippen will remain under scrutiny.

Xavier McDaniel, who spent much of the second half Tuesday limping after his knee buckled on him but claimed it would be no problem Thursday, is a constant challenge for Pippen.

``I`ve felt I`ve outplayed Pippen a lot of times before. And he`s outplayed me before. Because you`ve got the superstar status, you`ve got to earn it in the playoffs,`` reminds McDaniel, who is averaging 18.4 points and 4.6 rebounds to Pippen`s 15.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in this series.

``The regular season is just a steppingstone for the playoffs. Guys get the red-carpet treatment a lot. And then the playoffs come and you expect it. But you can`t get spoiled by it. I know I was spoiled by it. You`ve got to keep playin` and playin` hard.``

Hardest play of the series, according to McDaniel: ``Bill Cartwright threw a right hand at me and damn near knocked my head off (with no call).``

Other playoff ramifications:

- Of all the trash-talking thus far, it looks like only Phil Jackson`s suggestion after Game 4, that the officiating was orchestrated by the league to assure a long series for TV, will be costly.

``That`s something we`ll be looking into,`` said NBA operations director Rod Thorn. ``When you make statements like that, you`re getting beyond the realm of whether there`s too many or too few fouls, or one team is getting all the calls, or there`s too much rough stuff.

``You`re questioning the integrity of the league and the referees. You`re saying the referees will carry something like that out, which certainly is not true. That`s a very sensitive area when you talk about orchestrating, and our security department will be investigating.``

Jackson can expect a significant fine.

- Even if the Knicks are eliminated, they may have provided a blueprint of sorts for defeating the Bulls. But only one of the teams still alive seems capable of carrying it out-the Utah Jazz.

Utah is a half-court, defensive team with a big guard, Jeff Malone, who plays Jordan well and is dangerous on offense. So Jordan cannot switch to John Stockton. That`s why Jackson always has sought a big defensive backup guard, which management never has been able to supply.

The Knicks series continues to expose Jackson`s lack of confidence in his bench. The Bulls rarely go deeper than a sixth man for any significant playing time in close games.

Jackson`s distrust of the bench also has kept the Bulls from trapping as much (and creating fast breaks) as they did during the season, because he has to save the legs of his starters.

- Portland remains the Western favorite, even though the Blazers had some of their classic difficulties before surviving that 153-151 overtime marathon against Phoenix.

They missed seven of their first 10 overtime free throws, they somehow let Kevin Johnson down the lane for a dunk in a half-court defense and Buck Williams and Cliff Robinson fouled out on unnecessary fouls.

But it was nice to see Dolton native Kevin Duckworth save them in the second overtime by hitting two jumpers and four of four free throws.

``I was finally able to step up for us down the stretch,`` said Duckworth, who usually sits late for Robinson.

And what do you know? Somebody finally told coach Rick Adelman that Danny Ainge (25 points in Game 4 as Portland went up 3-1 on Phoenix) had playoff experience.

- The SuperSonics may be only one game away from elimination, but they`re also one point guard, Derek Harper, away from the Finals. Expect them to make a bid for the Mavericks` veteran by offering Gary Payton, which would fit a Dallas rebuilding plan unless the Mavs draw Shaquille O`Neal in the draft and try to move right back into contention.

- When Seattle`s Benoit Benjamin was on him, Karl Malone wasn`t so tough. He likes to take on an Isiah Thomas or John Paxson. If the Bulls play the Jazz, they ought to put Cartwright on him and let Horace Grant play Mark Eaton.

- And, finally, how things change: Said Doc Rivers after Mike Dunleavy left the Lakers: ``They`ll be going through a lot of changes. It`s great to be in L.A. and to be a Clipper.``